1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to toys and more particularly to combinations of cylindrical rings with readily insertable toy characters and accessories that rotate the combined rings and characters.
2. Background Art
Toys with rotating features are old in the art and there have been a number of toys in which rotation of wheels or the like produces rotation of another element. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,796,811 issued Mar. 17, 1931 to Shepherd; U.S. Pat. No. 2,496,603 issued Feb. 7, 1950 to Schwanengel; U.S. Pat. No. 2,577,102 issued Dec. 4, 1951 to Bolger; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,728 Sept. 27, 1955 to Shoup show toys in which a rotating element is secured in engagement with a plurality of surface engaging rotating wheels to produce rotation of the element. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,383,232 issued Aug. 21, 1945 to Ayres and U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,637 ssued Sept. 9, 1986 to Ferguson, a cylindrical rotating element is readily removable by the child. Instead of a cylindrical element, U.S. Pat. No. 3,078,619 issued Feb. 26, 1963 to Brown shows a readily removable eggshaped or ovoid shaped element that tumbles as it engages the rotating surface engaging wheels. U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,518 Aug. 7, 1984 to Smathers et al. discloses a vehicle carrying a releasable top that is rotated through a gear train by rotation of the vehicle wheels and which is ejected from the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped. A toy doll stroller and Ferris wheel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,649 issued Oct. 16, 1984 to Zaruba with the Ferris wheel carrying pivotable seats being rotated by engagement of the rotating rear ground wheels of the stroller. In all these prior art toys, the rotating element is not composed of separable portions readily combinable by the child. Moreover, there exists a need for additional entertaining actions to be effected by indirect rotation of a combined ring and character rotating toy.